In a rambling, heartfelt “prose-poem” posted to his Tumblr, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Moses Sumney labels his long-awaited debut album, Aromanticism, as “process music,” the type of music that recognizes and researches “the 2am sweat you wake up in, processing that lonesomeness might not just be a transitory hallway you’re passing through en route to inevitable partnership.”
That’s the concept behind the two-day interactive pop-up flower shop Sumney is opening in Los Angeles along with subscription record club Vinyl Me, Please to promote the release of the service’s October’s record of the month, Sumney’s own Aromanticism, out this Friday, September 22, through Jagjaguwar.
https://twitter.com/MosesSumney/status/909134167400517632
As Aromanticism takes its title from the idea of non-romance — valuing friendship over romantic partnerships — the release event turns the the quintessential romantic gesture on its head, allowing visitors to create their own, one-of-a-kind arrangements of flowers for the sole purpose of satisfying the self. The shop will be free to the public September 22nd from 4-10 PM and September 23 from 12-8 PM. The event will be held at Align Gallery in Highland Park, at 5047 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90042.
In his prose-poem, Sumney describes an “aromantic” an “someone who doesn’t experience romantic love, or does to a diminished, abnormal degree.” His mission, he feels, is to legitimize this position of “statelessness” — to, as he puts it, “get it out from over the squiggly red line.”
In a recent interview with The Fader, Sumney breaks down the core conceit of Aromanticism: “It’s really unhealthy, the idea that you need another half to make you whole, but also I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to totally self-isolate. There needs to be a balance, and I don’t think there is, currently.”
Aromanticism’s exclusive Vinyl Me, Please record is pressed on half-black and half-white vinyl, and comes with a custom cocktail recipe, as well as an art print by Australian artist Jonathan Zawada. The special-edition color pressing will be available beginning September 19 to Vinyl Me, Please members and new members who sign up before October 15. Additionally, a limited quantity will be available for purchase at the event. Check out some pics of the album below.
